


Meeting Pierson

by below_et_almost



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV), Highlander - All Media Types, Highlander: The Series
Genre: Duncan MacLeod's prodigious body count, Gen, Methos plans petty revenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-24
Updated: 2017-11-24
Packaged: 2019-02-06 05:46:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12810933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/below_et_almost/pseuds/below_et_almost
Summary: The BAU is on the trail of a string of beheadings. They speak with Professor Adam Pierson about his friend and possible unsub, Duncan MacLeod.





	Meeting Pierson

**Author's Note:**

> This is a scene from an epic crossover that never really got out of the plotting stage.

“Professor Pierson?” Gideon asked, knocking on the partially open door.

        “Yes?” replied a tall, trim man seated behind a cluttered desk, presumably Dr. Adam Pierson, professor of linguistics. Pierson raised his gaze from the papers layering his desktop and perked an eyebrow. “And what brings you gentlemen to my office today?” Gideon stepped forward into the small room, Reid trailing behind his elbow.

        “I’m Jason Gideon, FBI. This is Dr. Reid. We have a few questions for you about your friend, Duncan MacLeod.” Pierson blinked and set aside his papers, straightening up from quite an impressive slouch.

        “Well,” said Pierson, “What has he blundered into now?” The professor’s tone was wry despite his alert posture. In fact, he seemed almost amused. He met Gideon’s eyes steadily.

        “Actually, Mr. MacLeod is a person of interest in a murder case,” Reid broke in. Pierson quickly stifled a cough with his fist. His face fell into seriousness, but, Gideon thought, his eyes glinted with some hidden emotion.

        “Do you find murder funny, Professor?” Gideon asked. The man’s eyes widened. Was that alarm? Embarrassment?

        “Ah, no, but I am continually surprised by the ridiculous and unlikely events Mac keeps getting caught up in. I shouldn’t be, at this point, but it’s all so… statistically improbable.”

        “You’re not concerned that the man with whom you live is involved in murder?” Gideon clarified.

        “MacLeod’s a martial artist, he’s observant, he’s got an overdeveloped sense of responsibility. If he sees trouble, he won’t just stand by.” _His chivalrous little busy-body heart won’t let him._ “He wouldn’t-- he wouldn’t kill somebody!” Actually, Methos wondered if the FBI had, in truth, found one of Mac’s many corpses. Or more than one. The oh-so upright Highlander would get such a kick out of being thought a murderer-- not! Even if he fit the current definition.

        Gideon and Reid watched as the young professor collected himself, steepling his fingers. “So, ah, who was killed? And how can I help?” he asked. Reid looked to Gideon, ready to follow his lead, but the senior profiler remained silent. Reid took this as his cue.

        “Multiple people have been killed, we haven’t identified all of them yet. But wherever Mr. MacLeod goes, his presence correlates to people ending up decapitated.” Reid watched, face held open and guileless, for Professor Pierson’s reaction to that gruesome statement. Beside him, Gideon remained inscrutable.           “Mac lives in major metropolitan areas, Dr. Reid. And you know as well as I that correlation does not equal causation,” Pierson said, folding his arms.

       “Yes, but decapitation is extremely rare, even in large cities. These people were killed in the same way, with the same type of weapon. Someone is deliberately slicing people’s heads off, and he’s been successful at it for at least a decade.” _At least a decade, indeed,_ Methos thought. _Try centuries. And beheadings aren’t as rare as you think, at least in certain communities._  Acknowledging that immortals comprised a minuscule percentage of the world population, he wondered how many challenges modern law enforcement had found the aftermaths of, and how immortals affected the statistics… The world’s oldest immortal pulled his thoughts back to the situation at hand: at least two nosy investigators sniffing around after Duncan MacLeod’s prodigious leavings. _Damn that man’s intractable sense of honor!_ As dearly fond of Duncan as he was, deep convictions and all, Methos knew that one day-- a day as far into the future as Methos could prevent it, the old man vowed-- MacLeod’s willingness to put his life on the line for his beliefs would end in his own death. And in the meantime, the challenges brought highly unwanted attention.

       “I still can’t believe that Duncan would murder someone, let alone so brutally,” Methos attested, making certain to inject a hint of distressed innocence. He did not want the long arm of the law, the arm whose hand typed the kind of databases a caution-conscious immortal endeavored to steer far clear of, to harbor any interest in him or his identifying information. Let Adam Pierson, linguist, be Duncan MacLeod, suspect’s, innocent, retiring boytoy. And if perhaps said boytoy let slip a few embarrassing stories in interview, well, that would serve Mac right for his attention-catching ways. Outside, Adam Pierson was all wide-eyed determination. Inside, Methos smirked.


End file.
